"I am Yahovah your Elohim, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,out
of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before Me." (Ex. 20:2-3)

October 2016

If there ever was a time that points to the days of Noah, and also Sodom and
Gomorrah, it is now, the time in which we live! Here is an account, according to Scripture, of how Elohim/God, viewed the
world then: "The earth also was corrupt before Elohim, and the earth was filled with violence. (KJV Genesis 6:11) This
describes our present condition now. Just look at our politics and the events around the world today!

A few verses later, Genesis 18:20, Elohim points out a grievous condition of sin: "And Yahovah said 'Because the
cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous, I will go down now, and see whether they have
done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto Me; and if not I will know.'" (KJV Genesis 18:20-21) Every
body knows that sin is the violation of Elohim's commandments; we in the United States also know that the moral laws of this
country are based on Biblical principles.

Scripture has once more describe, for us, a perpetual
condition of human nature: “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which
shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there anything whereof it may be said, See this is new? It hath
been already of old time, which was before us.” (KJV Ecclesiastes 1:9-10) Therefore: --

Sin continues
to dominate humankind because: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I
Yahovah search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his
doings.” (KJV Jeremiah 17:9-10)

Notwithstanding mans nature, Yahovah in and by His infinity mercy sent
mankind a Savior: “For Elohim so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him
should not perish, but have everlasting life. For Elohim sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the
world through Him might be saved.” (KJV John 3:16-17) We should therefore, pattern our lives after men who would seek
righteousness through The Messiah!

Daniel and his companions were accounted among those who believed
in the saving grace of Yahovah and so resisted the pagan gods and the ways of the world that Babylon presented to them. Daniel’s
friends were thrown into a hot furnace of raging fire to be burned alive for refusing and not bowing down to worship an idol
by Nebuchadnezzar’s decree.

We who love Yahovah and His Mashiach are in a
fiery furnace; and what is so sad about it, is that very few Christians seem to be interested in the truth of the Scriptures
anymore! Many, of both sexes, by the way, now have their own view of “the truth.” The Scriptures are no longer
relevant to them and so this worldly furnace we are in is doing everything possible to erase our love, faith,
and hope in our Creator. Make no mistake, the world is having success in moving Christians left of center on this road to
life eternal. The Church has fallen into silence!

Just as Daniel’s friends were forced to
worship an idol, which they refused to do, so are we forced to accept laws passed, contrary to Scripture, as morally acceptable:
which we can not accept. Restrictions are placed on what will not be tolerated in the work place, such as prayer, even if
one is on a lunch break. Conversation must be such that accepts all religion or worship as acceptable and of equal value no
matter which god is worshiped.

Is there a chance that a law or laws will be passed that will try
and force those who love Yahovah to resist His commandments? My fear is that such a time is just around the proverbial corner!

Scripture has shown us from the very beginning that we are subject to being tested. Abraham, who is known as the father
of the faithful, was tested:…”Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the
land of Moriah, and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” (KJV
Genesis 22:2) Abraham obeyed and Isaac was spared. Abraham demonstrated obedience to the voice of Elohim!

Obedience is probably the most difficult spiritual trait for a lover of Ha Mashiach our savior to maintain; why? Because
it goes against the body’s natural will to feed its desires and lusts rather than obey the commandments of Elohim. The
worldly, carnally minded man or woman wants to control their body to do what makes it feel good no matter what the cost.

Another inborn quality of the body is that it seeks to protect itself from harm and pain. However, our body is not
our own. Our whole being belongs to our Creator, Yahovah; and that is where our loyalty should lie in Him for control of our
soul, mind, and body.

Resisting a lifestyle contrary to Scripture is what those of us who love, serve,
and follow our Savior are called to do. We see men throughout all of Scripture who did just that; and Daniel and his friends
are the examples we should focus on in this day of evil: “Submit yourselves therefore to Elohim. Resist the devil and
he will flee from you. Draw nigh to Elohim and He will draw nigh to you...” (KJV James 4:7-8)